Texas Longhorns Baseball: Looking Back, Looking Forward

by HenryJames on Jun 25, 2009 11:44 AM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Baseball

Texas’ two biggest strengths coming into the College World Series were pitching and defense. They had carried a rather anemic offense throughout the year. If you had told me before the series started that Texas would hit fourteen homeruns, I would have told you that we would win it. I never would have guessed that our pitching and defense would let us down.

Texas had confidence in six pitchers going into the CWS. That’s usually enough to get you through at least the winner’s bracket. Unfortunately, two of them couldn’t get anybody out once they got there. So that left Texas with four reliable pitchers for six games.

Texas was in the position of either getting a dominant performance from their starters or outslugging the opponent. Difficult to manage a staff when you don’t have middle relief or a closer on which you can rely. Even more difficult when your defense commits twelve errors in six games. To Texas’ credit they only fell one game short.

Austin Wood has never been the same after his performance against Boston College in the regional. I know, correlation isn’t causation, but his stat line since isn’t pretty: 11 IP 16 hits 10 runs 3 walks 8 ks. And two hit batters.

You don’t know how a freshman is going to respond in the biggest games of their life. Huston Street and Taylor Jungmann looked like major leaguers. Austin Dicharry looked like a freshman. He had major control issues and couldn’t throw strikes. In 2 1/3 innings he gave up three hits and walked eight.

After Texas tied the game at 4-4 last night, Cole Green summed up the team’s faith in the bullpen. "We were talking in the dugout and we kind of knew it would be over if they responded in the next inning," Green said. That’s rough. And you could tell by the players’ body language that they knew it was over once LSU did respond.

You can fault Augie Garrido for some bad moves regarding the staff, but it’s not easy to make good moves when you don’t have anybody in the pen that can get the other team out.

Texas exceeded expectations, and they return a great nucleus of players who now have CWS experience. Experience counts a lot. Don’t forget that this LSU team went 1-2 at last year’s CWS.

So I’m calling my shot now. Texas wins it all next year.

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For an exhaustive take, check out GhostofBigRoy @ BON.

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Comments

Think we move Workman into the closer’s role next year?

by Nordberg on Jun 25, 2009 12:10 PM CDT reply actions

For that to work Rupp needs to improve big time behind the dish. Too many pass balls, steals, overthrows etc. Not taking anything away from his offense because he came through big time in that area.

by Nth Handle on Jun 25, 2009 12:12 PM CDT reply actions

Yeah, Rupp is not a great or even a very good defensive catcher. But he looks like George Kennedy in ‘Cool Hand Luke’ so I have a soft spot for him.

by HenryJames on Jun 25, 2009 12:28 PM CDT reply actions

The thing about Wood that people miss is that he wasn’t pitching that great before throwing the 13 innings either. In the 6 innings he threw before the BC game he gave up:

11 hits

8 runs

4 walks

5 strikeouts

Not the terrible numbers of late, but still not great numbers for an ace closer.

by abc123 on Jun 25, 2009 12:29 PM CDT reply actions

Yep, good season that fell just a tad short. We won the first CWS in Rosenblatt, and I see no reason that we shouldn’t win the last next year.

Hook ’em!

by uthookem on Jun 25, 2009 12:30 PM CDT reply actions

You could almost say we were a curveball (Game 1) away from winning it.

Hope Wood can bounce back. It would be a shame to have his Hall of Fame performance be a career ender.

Put a little more muscle on Taylor Jungmann and he’s going to be scary next year.

I’ll definitely be attending more games next season. Should be a fun one.

by Texoz on Jun 25, 2009 12:34 PM CDT reply actions

He’s a natural born world-shaker.

by Sailor Ripley on Jun 25, 2009 12:35 PM CDT reply actions

Do we have any big bats coming in?

by Mysterious Package on Jun 25, 2009 1:40 PM CDT reply actions

Colton Cain, Cohl Wallah and Jonathan Walsh can all hit.

by HenryJames on Jun 25, 2009 2:05 PM CDT reply actions

They better be able to bunt.

by PatronSaint on Jun 25, 2009 2:10 PM CDT reply actions

Package,

If Colton Cain makes it to Austin versus signing a MLB contract you are going to love that kid.

by Art Vandelay on Jun 25, 2009 2:11 PM CDT reply actions

Our pitching staff was vastly overrated, as you note. Wood was inconsistent all year. No other middle reliever or closer was reliable. Ott and Jones were better than any of ours.

LSU looked far more talented overall. I can’t believe we got this far.

How is Augie’s recruiting? i know he outsources most of it but he never seems to be at the top of the rankings.

by The Clapper on Jun 25, 2009 2:30 PM CDT reply actions

Yeah, hard to believe we were one out away from a national championship with our “vastly overrated” pitching staff.

by Nordberg on Jun 25, 2009 3:52 PM CDT reply actions

Our pitching staff was vastly overrated, as you note. Wood was inconsistent all year. No other middle reliever or closer was reliable. Ott and Jones were better than any of ours.

LSU looked far more talented overall. I can’t believe we got this far.

How is Augie’s recruiting? i know he outsources most of it but he never seems to be at the top of the rankings.

Spoken like a dude that watched the CWS only.

by The General on Jun 25, 2009 4:36 PM CDT reply actions

I wouldn’t put Workman as the closer unless he gains a bit more command of his pitches. Nothing creates more wailing and gnashing of teeth than a closer who walks people.

I also think Cole needs to develop another pitch. He’s got a good mental approach and good stuff but I think he’s a bit too predictable.

If Cole does that, or another #3 surfaces, we’ll be in excellent shape.

Should be fine offensively, too.

I just don’t know what to make of the sudden propensity to lose our composure. We had three VERY ugly innings in three games in the CWS that seemed to snowball. We won two of those games, but we sure made it harder on ourselves than we had to.

Rupp, I guess, is just going to have some defensive lapses, but I was very surprised at some poor play by Rowe and Loy.

by Not Sold Yet on Jun 25, 2009 6:30 PM CDT reply actions

Jungmann, then who are our other starters? Workman, Dicharry as closer? I say that because Workman has been a starter in the past and I think we need him in the rotation…
Not Sold Yet,
I agree that Cole Green needs a third pitch.

by Mysterious Package on Jun 25, 2009 6:59 PM CDT reply actions

I will say this on recruiting: We sure have a lot of guys from the Austin area. Maybe just a coincidence, but it doesn’t exactly point to a lot of hard work hitting the road to recruit.

by mr. horn on Jun 25, 2009 7:17 PM CDT reply actions

I have a severe baseball hangover. Really bummed on this one. Our achilles in the past in Omaha has been running into a top-shelf pitcher who brings his A-game or a kid who throws the game of his life. This was ours to take, and we didn’t.

by Black Scholes on Jun 25, 2009 7:55 PM CDT reply actions

Watched them all year. Was a tribute to Augie and gutsy play we got this far. Jungmann emerged later in the season, Ruffin is a competitive stud, Green is ok. Not much reliable behind them yet.

by The Clapper on Jun 25, 2009 8:39 PM CDT reply actions

I think Workman is our closer next year.
A rotation of 1) Jungmann 2) Ruffin 3) Green with Dicharry as setup and Workman as closer is by far the best staff in the country next year.

It isn’t even close people. If we have a freshman or two step up from the mound it won’t even be fair.

Moldy, Keyes and Rupp in 3-5 spots is a good starting point too. We could really use some speed at the top as that was a glaring difference between us and LSU. Damn, we were a slow ass team this year.

by Bartoncreek on Jun 25, 2009 8:56 PM CDT reply actions

Terrific season from a Texas team that was very easy to root for. Lots of good talent coming back so they should make a strong run next year.

by hopefulhorn on Jun 25, 2009 10:46 PM CDT reply actions

Jungmann emerged later in the season, Ruffin is a competitive stud, Green is ok. Not much reliable behind them yet.

Jungmann and Ruffin threw two games that were wins. Jungmann’s was recorded.

by Sailor Ripley on Jun 26, 2009 2:20 AM CDT reply actions

What’s the take in the infield next year? Losing Torres and Tucker, right? I’m not that sad to see Torres’s bat go, but we were great defensively sans CWS.

by Rick Barnes on Jun 26, 2009 11:21 AM CDT reply actions

I don’t know what Torres’ CWS average was but he hit a bunch of balls very squarely right at people. If larger guys had hit as squarely as he did, we would have had even more HRs. His bat was not as good as his defense but he was pretty good.

by Bornahorn on Jun 26, 2009 1:27 PM CDT reply actions

I would still like to see some more pop next year. I think we all do…And I think we need to get more players from around the country, not just centex

by Mysterious Package on Jun 26, 2009 5:24 PM CDT reply actions

Here’s my swag at it:

C: Rupp
1B: Moldenhauer
2B: Etier
SS: Loy
3B: Kevin Lusson
LF: Shepard
CF: Rowe
RF: Keyes
DH: Cain (provided he doesn’t sign)

Fri P: Ruffin
Sat P: Green
Sun P: Jungmann

MR: Dicharry
Closer: Workman

Jonathon Walsh will also be in the mix somewhere and this also assumes Williams signs with the Padres.

by maninblack on Jun 27, 2009 6:38 PM CDT reply actions

Switch Cain and Moldenhauer and I like your lineup. Augie and Co. seem to like taller targets at 1B and Cain is a better fit than Moldy. Cole Walla and Jonathon Walsh will be two freshman that will see immediate playing time (maybe in LF), Walsh at 1B if Cain signs. Weymouth may also challenge Etier for the 2B job.

by Hill on Jul 2, 2009 10:54 AM CDT reply actions